Good morning, it’s Friday, May 1, 2026. In today’s edition, millions lose SNAP benefits after reconciliation bill; redistricting wars explode after SCOTUS ruling; Jackson, Jones tied in Georgia governor poll:
Top Stories
ECONOMY: More than 3 million people have lost access to federal SNAP benefits over the last year, likely due to fallout from President Trump’s reconciliation bill, enacted last July 4. SNAP participation dropped by about 8%, an almost unprecedented decline, as states move to adopt new work requirements and reduce error rates to conform with the federal legislation. (Pluribus News)
Only eight states — Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming — have error rates under the 6% threshold set out in the reconciliation bill. States with higher error rates will have to shoulder more of the administrative burden that comes with SNAP.
REDISTRICTING: New York lawmakers are voicing new urgency in approving a constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting. Lawmakers must pass an amendment in two consecutive sessions, meaning the earliest the state could redraw its maps is in 2028. (State of Politics)
MORE: Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R) has called for redrawing the state’s congressional district map lines. Petersen called existing maps racist under this week’s Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais. (Arizona Republic) The two leading Republican candidates for governor in Tennessee are pledging to redraw a Memphis-based seat held by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the state’s lone Democrat. (State Affairs) Mississippi Auditor Shad White (R) wants the legislature to redraw a majority-Black district held by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat. (Mississippi Free Press)
EVEN MORE: A Missouri appeals court has rewritten a ballot summary for a proposed referendum on newly gerrymandered maps. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) had authored a summary that called the previous maps an “existing gerrymander.” (Missouri Independent)
SOCIAL MEDIA: The Michigan Senate has approved a package of bills limiting social media companies from sending notifications to minors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and during the school day. Another bill limits collection of personal data and prohibits minors from using advanced chatbots. (MLive)
HOUSING: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has signed a “Yes in God’s Backyard” bill that would allow churches and other tax-exempt nonprofits to develop affordable housing on their properties.The bill eliminates a rezoning step those groups had to complete before building new housing. (Associated Press)
MORE: The top Republican and Democrat in the North Carolina state House are pushing legislation to spend $50 million in one-time funding to build about 1,000 new affordable housing units. The money would be used to provide below-market interest rate loans to builders for land acquisition, predevelopment and infrastructure costs. (State Affairs)
IMMIGRATION: The Massachusetts Senate will vote next week on immigrant protection legislation. The measure would create a state-level cause of action against federal officers who deprive rights or privileges under the Constitution. It bars civil arrests in childcare facilities, public schools and hospitals, prohibits the use of National Guard units from other states without the governor’s permission and bars law enforcement officers from inquiring about someone’s immigration or citizenship status. (State Affairs)
In Politics & Business
GEORGIA: A new Atlanta Journal Constitution poll finds businessman Rick Jackson (R) statistically tied with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), 27% to 25%. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) takes 14%, while Attorney General Chris Carr (R) is mired at just 3%. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
The GOP primary has already eclipsed $100 million in spending.
IDAHO: Supporters of reproductive rights and medical marijuana have until today to submit signatures to county clerks, who then have 60 days to verify they have collected enough to make the November ballot. One proposed measure would end the state’s criminal abortion ban and restore the right to an abortion. Another would legalize medical marijuana as a treatment option for some patients. (Idaho Capital Sun)
2028: The Rhode Island House has approved legislation moving the state’s presidential primary to Super Tuesday. (Providence Journal) Rhode Islanders voted in early April back in the 2024 primaries.
PEOPLE: Barry Christian, a candidate for Oklahoma state Senate, was found dead Thursday, two days after he was reported missing. Investigators found his body in his pickup truck that had driven off the road into a wildlife area. (KOCO)
By The Numbers
$91 million: The amount in additional Medicaid funding the Trump administration will withhold from Minnesota over fresh concerns about the state program’s vulnerability to fraud. The administration has already withheld $243 million in funding for the program. (Associated Press)
13 hours, 18 minutes, 55 seconds: The length of time it took Loren King, 57, to swim the Kaiwi Channel that divides Oahu from Molokai. It’s the fastest crossing of the 26-mile channel ever recorded. (Hawaii News Now)
Off The Wall
Visitors to San Francisco’s Pier 39 are getting a close-up view of Chonkers, a one-ton sea lion that dwarfs the species of sea lion that typically inhabits the Bay. “He is probably just very food-motivated,” a scientist tracking Chonkers said. (New York Times)
German airline Lufthansa has apologized to a Russian filmmaker after losing his Oscar statuette after U.S. airport security barred him from taking it on his flight. Lufthansa found the statuette, awarded to Pavel Talankin for a documentary about Vladimir Putin. (AFP)
Need some background video at work today? Check out the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s new live stream of its elephant habitat, which the zoo debuted Thursday. The San Diego Zoo has eight elephants in its herd. (UPI)
Quote of the Day
“I called the lieutenant governor sort of the Seinfeld of state government, because nobody knows who it is, and then they think it’s a job about nothing.”
— Former California Sen. Gloria Romero (R), a candidate for California lieutenant governor, on the very position she’s seeking. (CalMatters)